Humidifier



S. E. MILLER July 2, 1935.

HUMIDIFIER Filed July 24, 1934 Fi I.

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Patented July 2, 1935 HUMIDIFIER Sidney'E. Miller, Scotia, N. Y-., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New I I York Application July 24, 1934, Serial No. 736,684 7 Claims. (Cl. 261-106) This invention relates to air conditioning'and particularly to an improved humidifier.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of improvements in the construction of a t humidifier of the character disclosed in the copending application of Clarence C. Bailey, Serial No. ,733,0'77, filed June 29, 1934, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, whereby increased-efiiciency of water evaporation is obtained; less parts are required, resulting in a substantial decrease in the size and weight of the humidifier; manufacturing labor and cost are reduced; and both installation and removal for cleaning are facilitated.

provision in a humidifier of improvements in the construction of a water evaporating unit and a water supply and distributing element therefor, whereby the assembly of these parts incooperating relationship with each other is greatly simplified and whereby the transportation and installation of the humidifier is facilitated.

A further object of the invention is the provision of improvements in a screen stack type of water evaporating unit whereby construction of the unit is rendered easier and less expensive by the use of a single wire mesh screen folded to produce a plurality of superposed spaced apart layers and by the use of a simple framework for 30 retaining the layers in proper relationship to each other, which framework is also constructed to serve as the means for removably supporting the unit in cooperating relationship with the water supply and distributing element therefor. 35 The disclosure of the Bailey application above identified includes a humidifier which in general may be said to consist of a pan type water sup-- ply and distributing header having discharge openings in the bottom thereof, and an evaporating unit disposed beneath the header and comprising a plurality of wire mesh screens supported in substantially horizontal planes and in superposed spaced apart relationship to each other, each of the screens being capable of col- 45 lecting and holding in suspension a multiplicity of globules of water at the intersections of the 5 of'supportingelements which are fastened to the A more specific object of the invention is theends of the layers and which are constructed to serve as means for removably supporting the screen stack from and beneath the removable distributing pan. p

A more detailed-understanding of the manner 5 in which the present invention is carried out may be secured from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated a preferred embodimentof the invention. 10

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective showing the improved screen stack evaporating unit and the manner of supporting the unit from the water distributing pan, and Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the manner of mounting the humidifier within the air conducting casing of a humidifying apparatus. I

Referring to the drawing, Ill represents that portion of the casing of an air conditioning apparatus which surrounds the humidifying zone of the apparatus, and to the top wall of which are secured the depending supporting, hangers H by any suitable means such as rivets l2. Hangers II are provided with slanting slots l3 for detachably engaging the studs l4 provided onthe s1de of the water storage and distributing pan I5 which is to be installed at thetop of the casing I0.

Water, preferably preheated, is supplied to the pan l5 from any suitable source by means of pipe IS, the discharge end of which protrudes through the top of the casing ll! above the pan as shown.

In the bottom of the pan are provided a plurality of openings I! for discharging streams or drops of water downwardly into the humidifying zone. of the casing. These openings may be burred on the underneath side, as disclosed in the previously identified Bailey application, to prevent their stoppage by the deposit of scale. The details of the pan l5, casing Ill, and of the means for detachably supporting the pan in the top of the casing, the form of which means as shown being for purposes of illustration only, form no part of the present invention and it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by 45 said details except insofar as they pertain specifically to the true spirit and scope of the invention.

The water evaporating unit 20 comprises a single strip of wire mesh screen 2| folded to provide a plurality of substantially horizontal layers 22 which are held in superposed spaced apart relation by meansof substantially rigid metal straps 23 which are disposed at the ends of the layersand are secured thereto at each of the points of contacts by soldering or other suitable means as shown at 24. The portions 25 of the screen which connect the several horizontal layers are substantially vertical or at least are constructed so that they have a large radius of curvature.

In the bottom of the casing l0 beneath the screen stack there is provided a pan 28 for. catching the unevaporated water which drains from the screen stack and a drain 2! for carrying away the waste water.

The width of the folded screen, and therefore the length of the layers 22, is substantially the same as that of the pan 15 so that the ends of the straps 23, which are made to extend above the top layer of the screen and are provided with hook-shaped portions 30, can be hooked over the end rims of the pan l5.

In the assembly of the humidifier the straps 23 are first removably hooked over the ends of the pan l5 so that the evaporating unit will depend beneath the pan. The assembled unit is then inserted into the humidifier casing through the side thereof and detachably mounted on the hangers II by means of the studs l4 and in such manner that the substantially vertical portions 25 of the screen are disposed transversely of the air stream through the casing which has a direction of flow as indicated in Fig. 2 and which it is contemplated will be'produced by a blower or fan or other suitable means.

In the operation of the air conditioning apparatus in which the improved humidifying unit is incorporated, water is supplied to the storage and distributing pan I5 by means of pipe I6 and is discharged from the pan through the openings I1 downwardly onto the top layer of the screen stack 20. The water is there broken up into smaller particles and filters down through the remaining layers of the screen and is partially evaporated by means of the air stream passing through the casing ID. If a screen of the type described in the previously referred to Bailey application is utilized in constructing the stack, the water will be delayed in its downward passage and will collect in globules suspended from the intersections of the wires of the screen with the result that the evaporative capacity of the unit is greatly increased. Some of the water deposited upon the horizontal'layers of the screen will tend to flow down over and Wet the substantially vertical portions 25 which, it has been found, results in further increased efliciency of evaporation since all portions of the air stream passing through the casing are thus forced to come in contact with some form of Wetted surface, which may either be the drops depending from the horizontal layers of the screen or the wetted surfaces of the substantially vertical portions of the screen, with the result that an appreciably greater degree of uniformity of humidification of the air stream is secured.

Any water which is not evaporated on the screen stack 20 will drain down therefrom into the pan 26 and be carried away by means of drain 27. However, it has been found that due to the evaporative efficiency of the unit herein described, the percentage of the water supplied to the unit which is carried away as waste water is appreciably smaller than that which is encountered with the forms of evaporating unit heretofore commonly used in the art.

It will be seen from, the description hereinbefore given that the improved humidifying unit constructed in accordance with the present invention has the pronounced characteristics of simplicity, adaptability, ease of construction and installation and ready removability for cleaning which will result in the minimum of labor and expense in the construction thereof and in pronounced saving in the operational care required.

That which is believed to be new and novel in the present invention is clearly pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In an air conditioning apparatus, a water drip screen unit having a strip of wire mesh folded into a superposed series of spaced apart layers for successively breaking up the water dripping therethrough into small particles and suspending globules of water at the intersections of the mesh in each layer, and supports at the ends of the layers for maintaining the layers in spaced apart relation to provide for relatively unrestricted flow of air between the layers through the interconnecting portions of the mesh at the sides thereof.

2. In an air conditioning apparatus, the combination of a casing providing an air humidifying zone, means for discharging a plurality of streams of water downwardly into said zones, means for producing a substantially horizontal flow of air through said zone, a single strip of wire mesh screen folded to provide a plurality of substantially rigid parallel spaced apart layers, a rigid end plate fixedly attached to each edge of said screen at the ends of each of said layers and extending substantially at right angles to the planes of said layers, mounting means provided on the ends of said end plates and means provided in said casing for cooperating with said mounting means to support said screen in said humidifying zone with said layers substantially horizontal and beneath said streams of water.

3. In an air conditioning apparatus, a humidifying device comprising in combination a water storage pan having in the bottom thereof a plurality of openings for discharging downwardly directed streams of water, and a water evaporating unit arranged to be suspended beneath said pans, said unit comprising a single strip of wire mesh screen folded to provide a plurality of superposed spaced apart layers and supporting members fastened to said screen in a manner to retain said layers in position, said supporting members being provided with means for detachably engaging said pan to support the evaporating unit therebeneath.

4. In an air conditioning apparatus, a humidifying device comprising in combination a water storage pan having in the bottom thereof a plurality of openings for discharging downwardly directed streams of water and a water evaporating unit arranged to be suspended beneath said pan, said unit comprising a strip of wire mesh screen folded to provide a plurality of substantially parallel superposed spaced apart layers and a pair of substantially rigid straps respectively disposed in contacting relation to the opposite ends of said layers and secured to said screen at the points of contact, each of said straps having at one end thereof means for detachably securing the same to said pan.

5. In an air conditioning apparatus the combination of a casing having a humidifying zone and arranged to have a stream of air passed through said zone, means disposed in proximity to the top of said casing for discharging a plurality of streams of water downwardly into said zone,

a water evaporating unit suspended beneath said means transversely of the direction of air flow through said zone and comprising a wire mesh screen folded to provide. a plurality of substantially horizontal superposed spaced apart layers, and means attached to the edges of said layers for retaining said folds in position and for supporting said screen in said zone.

6. In an air conditioning apparatus, the combination of a casing having a humidifying zone and arranged for the passage of a stream of air through said zone, a water distributing element disposed in proximity to the top of said casing comprising a pan provided with a plurality of openings in the bottom thereof for discharging a plurality of streams of water downwardly into said zone and provided with means for detachably suspending the same from the top of said casing, and a water evaporating unit arranged to be disposed beneath said pan said unit including a wire mesh screen folded into'a plurality of substantially horizontal superposed spaced apart layers and means attached to the edges of said layers for detachably suspending said folded screen from said pan in the path of said stream of water and in such position that the substantially vertical portions of said screen joining said layers will be transverse to the stream of air.

7. In an air conditioning apparatus, the combination of a casing having a humidifying zone and arranged for the passage of a stream of air through said zone, a water storage pan having means for removably mounting the same in proximity to the top of said casing, means for supplying water to said pan, means including openings in the bottom of said pan for dischargmg a plurality of streams of water downwardly v pending said unit beneath said pan, and means in the bottom of said casing beneath said unit for collecting and removing unevaporated water.

SIDNEY E. WELLER. 

